abt Selects 4 Grants for the 2026 Organic School Lunch Promotion Program. Supporting Challenges in 4 Prefectures Questioning the 'Quality' of Food Beyond Free School Meals

This is the second year of the newly established program. For FY2026, a total of 1.2 million yen will be granted to 4 projects in two courses, 'First Step' and 'Jump Up,' across four prefectures: Nagano, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Kumamoto.

The public interest incorporated association Act Beyond Trust (Location: Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Jun Hoshikawa, hereinafter 'abt') has decided on four selected projects for the FY2026 'Organic Shift Division: Organic School Lunch Promotion Program.' As the movement to make elementary school lunches free of charge spreads nationwide and the guarantee of food 'quantity' is falling into place, voices questioning the 'quality' of food are rising. In its second year, this program supports challenges nationwide that attempt to reexamine local agriculture, food, environment, and society, using school lunches as a starting point, through both financial and hands-on accompaniment support.

■ Background: As the 'Quantity' is Guaranteed by Free School Lunches, 'Quality' is Now in Question

The government has decided to make elementary school lunches free starting in FY2026 (*1), and the guarantee of the 'quantity' of food for children is taking shape. Amidst this, movements questioning the 'quality' by linking it to local agriculture and the environment are spreading nationwide. The number of municipalities declaring themselves 'Organic Villages' promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries reached 131 by December 2024, achieving the initial target of 100 municipalities by FY2025 ahead of schedule. A new goal of expanding to 200 municipalities by FY2025 has been set (*2).

Even in urban areas, progressive practices are emerging one after another, such as Shinagawa Ward in Tokyo working to make all vegetables organic in the lunches of all 46 ward-run elementary schools starting in October 2025 (*3). Under the vision 'beyond ecology,' abt will continuously support initiatives where local agriculture, environmental conservation, and social fairness become unified, starting with children's food.

■ Outline of the FY2026 Grant Program

Program Name
Organic Shift Division: Organic School Lunch Promotion Program

Grant Period
April 2026 to March 2027

Number of Selected Projects
4 projects (2 courses: 2 'First Step Course' / 2 'Jump Up Course')

Total Grant Amount
1,200,000 yen

Target Regions
4 prefectures (Nagano, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kumamoto)

Cumulative Track Record
Newly established in FY2025. In the first year (FY2025), granted approx. 1.49 million yen to 7 projects/7 organizations.

■ General Comments from the Secretariat

In the second year of this program, as interest shifts from 'quantity' to 'quality' due to the progress of free school lunches, we conducted the screening with an emphasis on practices sprouting in various regions and their potential for further development. We hope that starting with planning rooted in the field, the relationships between local agriculture, food, environment, and society will be re-examined, and that it will ripple out to the whole community as a continuous initiative. We will support diverse challengers nationwide with both funding and accompaniment so that they can expand their activities while learning from each other.

■ Comments from the Selection Committee Members

Eku Honda (School Lunch x Local Consumption Coordinator / Representative of NPO CPP JAPAN)
'In the screening process, in addition to the perspective of connecting children's futures with local agriculture, we emphasized the collaboration and expansion among diverse entities such as farmers, governments, and educational fields. The level has risen year by year, making the selection very difficult, and I feel great hope in everyone's efforts.'

Chikako Tatsumi (Representative Director, Japan Organic Processed Food Consortium)
'This year, the content became even more diverse, and all the initiatives were filled with passion, making the selection very difficult. Through the grants, I hope that children and agriculture will connect, and models that change communities through organic school lunches will spread.'

Jun Hoshikawa (Representative Director, Act Beyond Trust)
'We emphasized the balance of three points: (1) Having built a solid foothold in the community, (2) Being practical while at the same time having the potential for highly creative development, and (3) The outcomes of the plans serving as a reference and strength for people trying to spread organic school lunches across the country.'

■ List of Selected Projects for FY2026

For FY2026, we selected a total of 4 projects: 2 for the 'First Step Course' (for applicants who want to start working on organic school lunches) and 2 for the 'Jump Up Course' (for applicants who want to leap forward and popularize their current activities). One of these is a continued selection from the first year (FY2025), steadily accumulating community-based practices.

◆ First Step Course (For applicants who want to start working on organic school lunches)

Organization: NPO Mukaishima seeds
Project Name: You are what you eat ~Bodies are made of what we eat~
Grant Amount: 100,000 yen
Region: Hiroshima Prefecture

Organization: Association to Protect Seeds and Food of Kumamoto
Project Name: Let's use organic rice and vegetables in Kumamoto's school lunches! Action
Grant Amount: 100,000 yen
Region: Kumamoto Prefecture

◆ Jump Up Course (For applicants who want to leap forward and popularize their current activities)